V KATHIRAVAN Vs. STATE OF TAMILNADU

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THIS petition coming on for orders upon perusing the petition and the affidavit filed in support thereof and upon hearing the arguments of Mr.V. Kathiravan, Party-in-Person and of Mr.N.R. Chandran, Advocate General, Assisted by Mr.V. Raghupathi, Government Pleader, on behalf of the respondents, the Court made the following Order:- In the above interlocutory applications learned counsel for the petitioners had finished their arguments by 3.15pm on 30.08.2002 and the learned Advocate General had started his arguments and spilled over to this day and the learned Advocate General continued his arguments in the morning of this day and sought for pass over till after lunch for further arguments. After lunch, learned Advocate General submits that the Hon'ble Chief Minister through the Chief Secretary has communicated to him that the Government has decided to suspend the Tamil Nadu Ordinance No.4 of 2002 and to appoint a committee to go into the Court-fees hike structure and then to re-consider the matter after submission of the report, but subject to the condition that the Court-fees so far paid pursuant to the Ordinance shall not be claimed pending further orders. In the circumstances, no further orders are necessary, for the present, in these interlocutory applications except recording the above statement of the learned Advocate General. It is made clear that the enhanced Court-fee, which has been paid pursuant to the impugned Ordinance, shall not be refunded until further orders of this Court. Further the matters in which the enhanced Court-fee has not been paid, but struck up, shall be treated as valid provided the Pre-ordinance Court-fee has been paid. It is further clarified that neither there should be refund of the Court-fee paid under the Ordinance nor there should be any recovery pursuant to the Ordinance. Post the W.P.M.Ps. after Dasara Vacation.